


Binky

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Category: Justified, Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Justified season 1, Spn Season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-02
Updated: 2013-08-02
Packaged: 2017-12-22 05:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/909389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raylan Givens isn’t sure what these two boys mean by the sentence “You and Jo were family.” There’s no “were” here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Binky

"Been a long time." 

Raylan nods and sips his bourbon. "A long, long time. You look good...pale, though." 

Jo shrugs. "Well, I ain't got much sun lately." 

"Clearly." 

She grins. "Don't you start with me, Givens." 

He grins back and pours her a glass that she doesn't touch. "I never start nothin' I can't finish, Joanna Beth. You know that." 

She nods. “Yeah, I know." 

***** 

"Got a cousin sleepin' on my couch." 

"Yeah? What's he doin' in town?" Tim asks as they sit at their desks in the morning. 

"She didn't say."

Tim glances at him. "She. She cute?" 

Raylan rolls his eyes. "She can do better'n you, Gutterson." 

"She from Harlan, too?" Rachel asks with a grin. 

"Nah, My Mama's big brother lived in Nebraska for a long time before he died," Raylan says. "Had a wife and daughter up there...I used to go visit sometimes. I'd babysit Jo. She's a good kid. Seems a little lost right now." 

"It might be nice to meet a family member of yours who doesn't hate your guts," Tim muses. "You should bring her by." 

"Maybe," Raylan shrugs.

***** 

She lifts up the stuffed bear and grins a little. "Big, bad Raylan Givens still has my old teddy bear." 

"Keep forgettin' to throw it out," Raylan tells her as he goes over some paperwork. "You ever gonna get out and get some sun?"

"Maybe tomorrow," Jo shrugs. "For now I think I'll just spend some time with ol' Binky here." 

"Binky," Raylan shakes his head. "Hell kinda name is Binky?" 

"One a four-year-old comes up with you old grouch," Jo grins.

He shakes his head and gets to his feet. "Gonna go grab some take-out. What do you want?" 

"Nah, I ate earlier," Jo tells him. "Ordered a pizza." 

Raylan squints at her, wondering where the leftovers are and the box and what money she paid with. "Uh...okay." 

"Ain't hungry." 

"Fine. I'll be back soon." 

Jo grins and waves. "Have fun."

He snorts and walks out.

***** 

He sits down in front of her the next night when he gets in and she's still sitting around with that teddy bear. 

"I'm startin' to think you're hidin from something," Raylan says. "You in some kinda trouble?" 

Jo just grins. 

"Joanna Beth, if somethin' happened, you can tell me," he says. "I can help you." 

"I don't think you can," she says softly. "But it's nice that you offered." She waves Binky and sighs. "Still can't believe you kept this old thing." 

"You loved it when you were a tiny thing," Raylan shrugs. "I guess I'm just sentimental. Always meant to give it back to you." 

"We didn't see much of each other after you became a lawman," Jo shrugs. "And I was busy too. Don't go feelin' guilty." 

He nods. "I guess you'll talk to me when you're good and ready, huh?" 

She grins again. "Yeah. That's exactly what I'll do." 

***** 

Two nights later, there's a knock on the door and Raylan grabs his gun before opening it up. 

"Help you gentleman?" 

The tall one with the shaggy hair looks cut up. Like somebody died. "Are you Raylan Givens?" 

"That depends," Raylan says slowly. 

The shorter one with the spiky hair and leather jacket clears his throat. He's clearly older and a little more take-charge. "I'm Dean. This is my brother Sam." 

Raylan blinks and looks back at Jo. "Friends of yours?" 

"Kinda," Jo says. 

Sam frowns, looking confused. "Uh...Mr. Givens-"

"Marshal Givens," Raylan and Jo say in unison. 

"Marshal," Sam corrects himself. "Who...who are you talking to?" 

Raylan looks annoyed and confused. "I got my cousin over here on this couch." He opens the door wider to reveal Jo. 

Dean looks grim. "Marshal, there's nobody on the couch." 

Raylan blinks, and they stand there in silence for a long moment. 

"Marshal Givens," Sam says slowly. "You...you're cousin was Jo Harvelle, right...? You and Jo were family?" 

"What do you mean, were?" Raylan snaps. "She's on. The couch." 

"She's not," Dean sighs. "Well, she probably is, but it's not really her. I mean it is, but...not all of her." 

Sam takes a deep breath. "May we come in? You might wanna sit for this." 

***** 

Raylan takes a heavy gulp of bourbon and glances at Jo before looking back at the brothers. "So...my baby cousin died." 

"Last week," Dean says quietly. 

"We're very sorry," Sam adds. 

"She died last week, and she's sittin' on my couch and only I can see her," Raylan goes on. 

"That's the gist," Dean nods.

Jo sighs heavily. "You're the one who had to keep Binky." 

"What's Binky got to do with this?" Raylan asks, turning to her. 

Dean frowns and rubs his eye. "Jo, if you're here, stop screwing with this guy. It's not funny." 

"You tell Dean I ain't bein' funny," Jo snaps. "Oh, and tell him he's a jerk." 

"She says you're a jerk," Raylan says. "And that she ain't bein' funny." 

"Thank you for putting that in the right order," Jo says.

Raylan just nods. 

"What's with the teddy bear?" Sam asks, pointing to the ragged stuffed animal in the corner of the couch.

"It was hers when she was little," Raylan says. "I kept it. Don't know why. Just...kept it." 

"That's probably what's holding her here," Dean says.

"What does that mean, holding her here?" Raylan asks. 

"Sometimes spirits stick around because there's an object they held dear during their life that still exists," Sam explains. "It sometimes has genetic material on it or...it's just special." 

Raylan nods. "She and her mom visited me one time in Atlanta and she left it…Never got around to mailing it back…figured I’d wind up givin’ to my own kid, but that never happened…”

Jo lifts Binky and smacks Raylan in the head with the thing.

Dean and Sam watch as the teddy bear moves on its on and makes hard contact with the back of Raylan’s head. 

“So…” Sam says awkwardly. “So we’re gonna need to salt and burn that teddy bear.” 

Raylan sighs heavily and takes the toy from Jo, looking down at it. “That’s probably for the best…let Jo be at peace.” 

Dean frowns. “You know more about this than you’re letting on.” 

“My mama was a Harvelle,” Raylan reminds them. “Ain’t like Uncle Bill cornered the market on ghosts and shit.” He sighs heavily. “I’ll do it.” 

The boys agree to it, and soon, they’re on their way out the door. 

“You with her when she went?” Raylan asks them. 

“Just before,” Sam says quietly. “She died saving us.” 

Raylan nods. “Yeah, she would. Always was the little hero.” 

“Like you’re any better,” Jo says. 

“Well, I got me a badge,” he says. “You just had a gun and a give ‘em hell attitude.” 

Dean grins oddly, and Raylan notices. When the boys have wandered back to their Impala, he turns to Jo. 

“You and him, huh?” 

“Not really. Almost. Maybe. Don’t matter no more.” 

Raylan’s hit with a deep sense of sadness, suddenly; That Jo will never fall in love and get married and have a house and babies and she’ll never do all those things you do when you get old. She was so god-damn young. He grips Binky in his hands and sighs. 

“You wanna hang out a little more, or you wanna hit the road?” he asks her.

She shrugs. “I should get going…I don’t go soon, you ain’t gonna be able to let me, and that’ll just end bad.” 

They look at each other for a long moment and Raylan reaches out, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her forehead gently. He’s surprised he can. She feels chilly and he shivers like someone’s just walked over his grave. 

“Okay, then,” he mutters. “Okay.” 

***** 

It doesn’t take much; a little salt, a little lighter fluid and a match. He drops it all into the bucket with Binky and watches the thing burn. He glances at Jo, and she grins at him, looking a little less pale, a little more at peace. 

They wave to each other as she disappears with a bright burst of light, and Raylan has to squint and lean back because it’s just too dazzling and warm. When it dissipates and Jo is gone, the night around him is still. 

He’s not sure where Joanna Beth went but he’s pretty sure when he dies, he won’t be seeing her. And that’s okay, he guesses. Maybe they can be pen pals.


End file.
